Concrete pile sections and joints therefor

ABSTRACT

Each cast concrete pile section has longitudinally extending reinforcing rods, the opposite ends of which are partially received within openings formed through normally disposed end plates. The rod ends extend intermediate the length of the openings and are welded to the end plates about the inside faces of the plates with weld also being applied externally within the openings from the outer faces of the plates. The edges of the end plates are beveled and the sectional piles are welded about the adjoining beveled edges in end to end relation. In one form, an end plate on one pile section is formed with a central concavity while the end plate on the adjoining pile section has a complementary central convex portion adapted to be received within the concavity as to align the piles in coaxial relation one to the other.

United States Patent [72] Inventor John Grazel Santurce, PR. [21] Appl.No, 764,384 [22] Filed 0ct.2, 1968 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [73]Assignee John Grazel Inc.

San Juan, PR.

[54] CONCRETE PILE SECTIONS AND JOINTS THEREFOR 3 Claims, 7 DrawingFigs.

[52] US. Cl 61/56, 29/155 C, 29/160, 52/587 [51] int. Cl E02d 5/30 501Field of Search ..61/56, 56.5, 59, 53;29/160,155 C, 471.1; 52/587, 583,725, 722, 301, 601; 285/l89.36 B

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,081,811 5/1937 Greulich287/189.36 2,921,462 1/1960 Wilson 52/583 X Primary Examiner-JacobShapiro Attorney-Le Blane & Shur ABSTRACT: Each cast concrete pilesection has longitudinally extending reinforcing rods, the opposite endsof which are partially received within openings formed through normallydisposed end plates. The rod ends extend intermediate the length of theopenings and are welded to the end plates about the inside faces of theplates with weld also being applied externally within the openings fromthe outer faces of the plates. The edges of the end plates are beveledand the sectional piles are welded about the adjoining beveled edges inend to end relation. in one form, an end plate on one pile section isformed with a central concavity while the end plate on the adjoiningpile section has a complementary central convex portion adapted to bereceived within the concavity as to align the piles in coaxial relationone to the other.

PATENTEU JUL20 |97| sum 1 OF 2 3593532 INVENTOR JOHN GRAZEL BY I m %wATTORNEYS PATENTEDJUL20|97| SHEET 2 BF 2 Q 3.593.532

FIG. 5

FIG. 7

INVENTUR JOHN GRAZEL *m% ATTORNEYS CONCRETE PILE SECTIONS AND JOINTSTHEREFOR This present invention relates toconcrete pile sections and thejoints therefor.. Particularly, the present invention relates to precastconcrete pile sections having end plates uniquely welded to theassociated reinforcing rod ends in a manner to significantly increasethe stress resisting characteristics of the pile sections duringhandling and welded'to the end plates of adjoining concrete pilesections whereby a continuous cast concrete pile may be formed. Also,the present invention provides concrete pile sections which are readilyand automatically coaxially aligned when joined one to the other to forma pile.

Cast reinforced concrete piles are widely used as foundations in theconstruction of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Due to theirextremely heavy weight and for reasons to be described presently,concrete piles are most often formed in short lengths or sections at acasting or fabrication yard and these sections are then normallytransported to the construction site whereupon they are disposedvertically and driven into the ground as by a suitable hammer. For mostheavy construction, it is customary to join the precast concrcte'pilesections one to the other in end to end relation to form an elongatedcontinuous pile and this may be accomplished either prior to or duringthe pile driving operation.

Certain problems, however, have remained in the construction and use ofconcrete pile sections, particularly with respect to the forces on thepile sections encountered during transport and handling of the pilesections prior to driving the same into the ground, as well as problemsassociated with joining the pile sections in end to end relation priorto or during pile driving operations. The widespread employment ofconcrete piles as foundation structures has resulted largely from 'thehigh loadbearing capability of concrete in compression. However, aconcrete structure, particularly an elongated concrete pile, exhibitscomparatively little load bearing capability in tension and underlateral loading. It will be appreciated that a precast concrete pilesection acts as a beam when handled or stored or when loaded otherwisethen in axial compression. Such pile sections, particularly those havinglarge cross sections, areiextremely heavy and, when transported from thecasting yard to the construction site or otherwise handled prior tobeing driven into the ground, are thus subject to tensile and lateralloadings. These loadings, if excessive, tend to crack or otherwisedamage'the pile sections rendering the same unsuitable for use.Reinforcing rods are normally employed to impart stress-resistingcharacteristics to concrete pile sections. This has, to some extend,limited the damage to the pile sections during handling, but such damagestill occurs and remains a problem. 7 v

Precast reinforced concrete pile sections have been employed previouslyand provided with metal end-connecting devices for joining pile sectionsin end to end relation to form a continuous concrete pile. In one suchprecast concrete pile, cylindrical rings are formed about and axiallyspaced from the opposite end portions of the concrete pile sections andthe end portions of the reinforcing rods are bent or flared outwardlysuch that the rod ends are welded to the respective inner faces of therings. To join these pile sections in endwise butting relation one tothe other, a cylindrical sleeve or a pair of half sleeves are disposedabout the adjoining ends of the pile sections with opposite ends of thesleeve or half sleeves being welded to the respective rings. Anotherknown type of precast concrete piling section provides outwardly flaredor bent reinforcing rods which are welded to the inside faces of annularend plates and to the inner faces of metal rings which are, in turn,welded to the associated annular end plates To join the pile sectionsone to the other in endwise butting relation the annular end plates arebutted one to the other and welded about their common periphery.

The foregoing pile sections have only limited load-bearingcharacteristics in tension and are accordingly subject to damage duringhandling. For example, when the foregoing and other pile sections arelifted or otherwise handled, the loadings are characteristic of beamswith one side of the pile sections being subjected to loading in tensionand the other side being subjected to loading in compression. Since thereinforcing rods of the foregoing described known pile sections on thesides thereof in tension are bent or flared outwardly, it will be seenthat their tension bearing characteristics are seriously impaired andthe pile sections are thus subject to cracking along their tensionedsides. More'importantly, the rod-to-ring connections and the rod-to-endplate connections where applicable of such prior pile sections affordlimited weld areas whereby the joints are not particularly strong andoften rupture. Since these connections are internal of the pilesections, visual inspection of these connections prior to installationis impossible. Moreover, in those pile sections employing outwardly bentor flared reinforcing rods, the axial force applied to the sections whenthe latter are the driven into the ground tends to further deflect theflared or bent ends of the rods outwardly such that the rods tendtocrack the concrete cover between the rods and the outer surfaces ofthe pile sections.

The present invention provides reinforced concrete pile sections andjoints therefor which minimize the abovediscussed and other shortcomingsof prior concrete pile sections and their associated joints and providesvarious advantages in construction, mode of use and resultover suchprior pile sections and joints. Generally this is accomplished byforming concrete pile sections in the usual manner and providing platesat opposite ends of the pile sections with holes bored or otherwiseformed therethrough to receive the associated ends of longitudinallyextendingreinforcing rods. The ends are partially received within theplate openings and terminate short of the outer faces of the plates toform recesses with the remaining portions of the openings. The rods arewelded to the plates internally of the pile sections about the rods andalong the inside faceof the plates about the openings as well asexternally in the recesses about the walls of the openings of theassociated rod end faces. in this manner the rod ends are welded attwoareas thereby providing a large and significant increase in weld areaand hence a stronger rodto-end plate connection'than previously formed.Equally as important, the rods extend'longitudinally in parallelrelation to the corresponding axes of the pile sections throughout thefull lengths of the latter. By increasing the weld area and hence thestrength of the weld joint as well as forming the rods parallel tothe'rcspective axes of the pile sections throughout their full lengths,there are provided concrete pile sections having improved load-bearingcharacteristics in tension whereby cracking and other damage to the pilesections during handling is substantially eliminated.

it is another significant feature of the present invention that the pilesections can be readily, accurately and automatically coaxially alignedwhen disposed in end-to-end relation and driven into the ground. To'thisend, an end plate on each of the pile sections is provided with acentral concavity..The opposite end plate of each pile section isprovided with a corresponding central convexity and it will beappreciated that when the pile sections are superposed one over theother, the convexity on the lower end of the superposed piling sectionengages within the concavity formed-on the upper end of the underlyingpile section, thus coaxially aligning the pile sections.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provideimproved concrete pile sections and joints therefor. It is anotherobject of the present invention 'toprovide concrete pile sections havingimproved load-bearing characteristics during handling. j

It is still another object of the present inventionto provide improvedconcrete pile sections which may be readily handled prior toinstallation substantially without danger of cracking or otherwisedamaging the pile section. a

It is a further object of the present invention to provide improvedconcrete pile sections having end plates uniquely connected to the endsof the reinforcing rods to afford extremely strong joints therebetweenand which sections may be readily joined one to the other in end-to-endbutting relation.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provideconcrete pile sections which in use may be readily, accurately andautomatically coaxially aligned one with the other.

It is a related object of the present invention to provide concrete pilesections having end plates formed to afford large weld areas when theend plates of adjoining pile sections butt one another thereby to form astrong joint therebetween.

It is a further related object of the present invention to provideimproved concrete pile sections which may be readily and easily formedand joined one to the other at minimum cost and labor.

These and further objects and advantages of the present in vention willbecome more apparent upon reference. to the following specification,appended claims and drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a side elevational view of a lowermost concrete pile sectionconstructed in accordance with the present invention and having portionsbroken out and in cross section for ease of illustration;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a superposed concrete pile sectionwith portions broken out for ease of illustration;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssectional view of an end portionof pile section hereof illustrating reinforcing rodto-end plateconnections;

FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a jointformed between a pair of pile sections;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view of another form ofpiling connections constructed in accordance with the present invention;and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view showing the upper end plate of the lowerpiling section illustrated in FIG. 6. 7

Referring now to FIGS. I and 2, there is illustrated two reinforcedconcrete pile sections generally indicated at I0 and 12 respectively,which may be formed in the usual manner as by pouring concrete intoforms, molds or the like. Pile sections 10 and 12 are preferablyrectangular in cross section, although it will be appreciated that thepresent concrete pile sections may be formed to other and differentcross sections, for example, circular. ,The lower end of pile section 10is tapered as at 14 and this type of pile section is employed. as theinitially driven section, the tapered end 14 facilitating thepenetration of the pile section 10 into the ground. Pile section I2 issubstantially constant in cross section throughout its full length andin use one or more pile sections I2 are disposed and connected inend-to-end relation one with the other and with pile section 10 to forma substantially continuous elongated concrete pile.

To form the pile section, a plurality of metal, preferably steel,reinforcing rods I6 are arranged in the form of an elongated cage havingpreferably a rectangular cross section. A plurality of metal ties 18 arewrapped about and encompass the rods 16 at longitudinally spacedposition along the pile sections and are secured to rods 16 prior topouring the concrete by light wires 20 in the usual manner.

In accordance with the present invention, end plates 22 are uniquelysecured to the opposite ends of the reinforcing rods 16 forming the pilesections 12 with an end plate 22 being likewise secured to the upperends of the rods 17 forming pile sections I0. The lower tapered end ofpile section 10 may be provided with a metallic end cap 24 to facilitatepenetration of the initial pile section into the ground without damageto the concrete. End plates 22 are disposed normal to the long axis ofthe pile sections 10 and 12 and have like cross sections as the pilesections, i.e., have rectangular cross sections as seen in FIG. 4. Eachplate 22 is provided with a plurality of openings 26 which receive theends of reinforcing rods 16. It is a significant feature hereof that thestrength of each of the rod-toplate connections is significantlyincreased over known reinforcing rod-to-plate connections due to theunique manner of such connection as will now be described.

End plates 22 are slipped over the ends of rods 16 such that the latterare partially received within openings 26. Preferably, the end of eachrod extends halfway within its associated opening 26 leaving anoutwardly opening recess 27 formed by the remaining sidewall portions ofopening 26 and the end face of rod 16. To secure the plates to the rodsin a manner such that the joint has extremely high strength, is each rodis welded to the associated plate at two areas: about the rod end alongthe inner face of plates 22 about openings 26 providing an interior weldas at 29 in FIG. 3, and within the recess 27 defined by the sidewalls ofthe openings 26 and the end face of rod 16 providing an external weld.Weld is preferably applied to each of these areas with weld beingdisposed within the recess 27 such that this external weld lies flushwith the end face of the associated plate. In this manner, the weld areais greatly increased providing increased joint strength. Note that rods16 extend longitudinally parallel to the elongated axis of the finishedconcrete pile sections throughout their full lengths and that tensionapplied to end plates 22 is transmitted directly between the end platesby the reinforcing rods 16 without significant tensile stress appliedthrough the concrete. The peripheral edges of end plates 22 arepartially tapered or beveled as at 28 and may be fully tapered as at 30in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIG. 5 and to form an elongated pile, pile section 12is coaxially aligned with and disposed above pile section 10 such thatits lower end plate 22 lies flush against the upper end plate 22 of pilesection 10. The adjoining plates are then welded one to the other aboutthe tapered edges 28 or 30 as the case may be. By tapering the edges ofplates 22, an increased weld surface area is'provided thereby greatlyincreasing the strength of the resulting joint. Note that when the pilesections 10 and 12 are properly aligned one with the other thecorresponding reinforcing rods in each section are coaxially alignedwith the corresponding rods in the other section. Tensile loadingsapplied to the joined pile sections are transferred from one section tothe other through the reinforcing rods and end plates of the one sectiondirectly to the end plate and reinforcing rods of the other section. Inthis manner, the joined pile sections do not transmit tensile loadingsto the concrete portions thereof.

It will be appreciated that additional pile sections 12 may be securedto the upper end plate of pile section 12 illustrated in FIG. 5similarly as the joint between pile sections 10 and l2is formed therebyaffording a continuous elongated concrete pile.

In another embodiment hereof, the end plates 22 are uniquely formed tofacilitate axial alignment of the superposed pile sections and theunderlying pile sections and to insure a flush engagement between theiradjoining end plates. To this end, a centrally located projection orconcavity 34 is formed in end plate 22a of each of the pile sections andin the end plate of pile section 10. A corresponding centrally locatedprojection or convexity is formed in end plate 22b at the opposite endof each of pile sections 12. In this manner, when pile sections 10 and.12 are vertically disposed in endwise butting relation, it will be seenthat convexity 36 is received within the concavity 34 thereby assuringaxial alignment of the sections and precluding lateral movement of onepile section relative to the other. If the pile sections are laterallyoffset or axially misaligned when first vertically disposed one over theother, the arcuate surfaces or projections 34 and 36 cooperate such thatthe superposed pile section naturally or automatically slides into axialalignment with the underlying pile section.

It will thus be seen that the strong joints formed between the endplates and the reinforcing rods as well as the provision of rodsextending longitudinally parallel to the axis of the concrete pilesections throughout their full lengths provide pile sections uniquelyformed to have improved load-bearing characteristics in tension,particularly those loads applied during handling. When the concrete pilesections act as beams during handling, one side of each section isin'compression and its other side is in tension. The side loaded incompression is resisted by the concrete in the usual manner. The otherside loaded in tension is resisted by the reinforcing rods withouttransmitting the tensile loading to the concrete. ln this manner, vastlyimproved pile sections are provided in that the concrete thereof is notcracked or otherwise damaged, particularly during handling. Moreover,the end plates have tapered edges affording large weld areas whereby thepile sections may be readily welded one to the other to form extremelystrong joints. In another embodiment, the end plates are uniquely formedsuch that the concrete pile sections may be readily and automaticallydisposed in axial alignment one with the other.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claimsare therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim and desire to be secured by U.S. Letters Patent is:

l. A pile construction comprising upper and lower concrete pile sectionseach having a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extendingreinforcing rods, a plate disposed at the lower end of said upper pilesection, a plate disposed at the upper end of said lower pile section,each of said plates lying, substantially normal to the longitudinal axisof the respective pile sections thereof and having a plurality ofopenings for receiving the corresponding ends of the associated rods,said upper and lower concrete pile sections being disposed insubstantial vertical end-to-end relation one to the other with theopposing plates of said pile sections butting one another, cooperatingmeans carried by, said butting plates for axially aligning said upperand lower pile sections including a surface of revolution symmetricalabout the longitudinal axis of said upper pile section and projectingdownwardly from said upper plate, and a surface of revolutionsymmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said lower pile section andrecessed inwardly from said lower plate, said upper and lower surfacesof revolution comprising respective complementary convex and concaveportions of said butting plates, said downwardly projecting convexsurface being received in said concave surface when said first andsecond pile sections lie in axially aligned butting relation one to theother, means for securing said first and second pile sections in end toend axially aligned butting relation one to the other, said upper pilesection having a plate disposed at its upper end and lying substantiallynormal to the longitudinal axis thereof, said latter plate having aplurality of openings for receiving the corresponding ends of said rods,and means for securing the ends of said rods within the openings of saidplates, said rod ends of said upper and lower pile sections beingdisposed partially within the openings of the associated plates, saidrod ends being welded about said rods in the inner face portions of theplates about the associated openings and about the sidewalls of saidopenings and the end faces of the associated rods.

2. A pile construction comprising upper and lower concrete pile sectionseach having a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extendingreinforcing rods, a pair of plates disposed at opposite ends of saidupper pile section substantially normal to the longitudinal axis thereofand having a plurality of openings for receiving the corresponding endsof the rods associated with said upper pile section, a plate disposed att8e upper end of said lower pile section substantially normal to thelongitudinal axis thereof and having a plurality of openings forreceiving the upper ends of the rods associated with said lower pilesection, means for securing said rod ends to said plates, said rod endsbeing disposed partially within the openings of the associated platesand being welded exteriorly about the rods and the inner face portionsof the associated plates about the openings thereof and exteriorly aboutthe sidewalls of said openings and the end faces of said rods, saidupper and lower concrete pile sections being disposed in substantiallyvertical end-to-end relation one to the other with opposing plates ofsaid pile sections butting one another cooperating means carried by saidbutting plates for axially aligning said upper and lower pile sectionsincluding a surface of revolution symmetrical about the longitudinalaxis of said upper pile section and projecting downwardly from saidupper plate, and a surface of revolution symmetrical about thelongitudinal axis of said lower pile section and recessed inwardly fromsaid lower plate, said upper and lower surfaces of revolution comprisingrespective complementary convex and concave portions of said buttingplates, said downwardly projecting convex surface being received in saidconcave recess when said first and second pile sections lie in axiallyaligned butting relation one to the other, and means for securing saidfirst and second pile sections in end-to-end axially aligned buttingrelation one to the other.

3; A pile construction according to claim 2 wherein said butting plateshave beveled lateral edges, said securing means for said butting platesincluding welding about the beveled edges thereof.

1. A pile construction comprising upper and lower concrete pile sectionseach having a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extendingreinforcing rods, a plate disposed at the lower end of said upper pilesecTion, a plate disposed at the upper end of said lower pile section,each of said plates lying, substantially normal to the longitudinal axisof the respective pile sections thereof and having a plurality ofopenings for receiving the corresponding ends of the associated rods,said upper and lower concrete pile sections being disposed insubstantial vertical end-to-end relation one to the other with theopposing plates of said pile sections butting one another, cooperatingmeans carried by said butting plates for axially aligning said upper andlower pile sections including a surface of revolution symmetrical aboutthe longitudinal axis of said upper pile section and projectingdownwardly from said upper plate, and a surface of revolutionsymmetrical about the longitudinal axis of said lower pile section andrecessed inwardly from said lower plate, said upper and lower surfacesof revolution comprising respective complementary convex and concaveportions of said butting plates, said downwardly projecting convexsurface being received in said concave surface when said first andsecond pile sections lie in axially aligned butting relation one to theother, means for securing said first and second pile sections in end toend axially aligned butting relation one to the other, said upper pilesection having a plate disposed at its upper end and lying substantiallynormal to the longitudinal axis thereof, said latter plate having aplurality of openings for receiving the corresponding ends of said rods,and means for securing the ends of said rods within the openings of saidplates, said rod ends of said upper and lower pile sections beingdisposed partially within the openings of the associated plates, saidrod ends being welded about said rods in the inner face portions of theplates about the associated openings and about the sidewalls of saidopenings and the end faces of the associated rods.
 2. A pileconstruction comprising upper and lower concrete pile sections eachhaving a plurality of laterally spaced, longitudinally extendingreinforcing rods, a pair of plates disposed at opposite ends of saidupper pile section substantially normal to the longitudinal axis thereofand having a plurality of openings for receiving the corresponding endsof the rods associated with said upper pile section, a plate disposed att8e upper end of said lower pile section substantially normal to thelongitudinal axis thereof and having a plurality of openings forreceiving the upper ends of the rods associated with said lower pilesection, means for securing said rod ends to said plates, said rod endsbeing disposed partially within the openings of the associated platesand being welded exteriorly about the rods and the inner face portionsof the associated plates about the openings thereof and exteriorly aboutthe sidewalls of said openings and the end faces of said rods, saidupper and lower concrete pile sections being disposed in substantiallyvertical end-to-end relation one to the other with opposing plates ofsaid pile sections butting one another cooperating means carried by saidbutting plates for axially aligning said upper and lower pile sectionsincluding a surface of revolution symmetrical about the longitudinalaxis of said upper pile section and projecting downwardly from saidupper plate, and a surface of revolution symmetrical about thelongitudinal axis of said lower pile section and recessed inwardly fromsaid lower plate, said upper and lower surfaces of revolution comprisingrespective complementary convex and concave portions of said buttingplates, said downwardly projecting convex surface being received in saidconcave recess when said first and second pile sections lie in axiallyaligned butting relation one to the other, and means for securing saidfirst and second pile sections in end-to-end axially aligned buttingrelation one to the other.
 3. A pile construction according to claim 2wherein said butting plates have beveled lateral edges, said securingmeans for said butting plates including welding about the beveled edgesthereof.